What is Misfits?
Misfits is a Tabletop Roleplaying game designed by Sam Thiel. Inspired by games like Dungeons and Dragons and Blades in the Dark, Misfits combines classical fantasy elements with player-enabling and narrative-focused action systems. Misfits’ characters are teenagers and young adults exploring a modernized fantasy world, and interacting with the different factions within it, both big and small. The characters are encouraged to punch up against oppressive systems in the world, to develop their own skills and knowledge, and to have as much fun as possible.
Every player in Misfits is a mage, and while the origin of your powers may differ from other players, the core limitation on what spells you can cast is your own imagination. Misfits features a qualitative spellcasting system which removes the need for long and restrictive spell lists. The narrative action system of the game then allows those newly created spells to be quickly applied to interesting and novel situations.
Closed Beta 1: January 2025
In January 2025, Misfits had its first Closed Beta test as project during Oberlin’s Winter Term. 12 new players, sorted into three groups, were introduced to the rules of the game and played though 3-4 session long mini-campaigns in order to test the mechanics, flavor, and accessibility of the game. Though the game is still incomplete, all play testers in the January 2025 Beta reported that the game was easy to learn and fun to play, and the shortcomings of the game in the first Beta have informed extensive updates to the rules of the game and their presentation.